All The Burning Questions From The Animated Classic That The 'Beauty And The Beast' Live-Action Movie Needs To Answer

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Beauty and the Beast is one of those movies that truly is a "tale as old as time" with many incarnations even outside of the Disney realm. However, the version that many of us consider the definitive version is the animated film, released by #Disney in 1991. And while it is considered a masterpiece, there are quite a few puzzling questions that are left by the end of the film. Here is what I hope gets answered by the 2017 live-action remake.

1. Where Are The Beast's Parents?

While in the original film there is no mention of his parents, not even any portraits in the vast castle, in the teaser trailer for the live-action movie we ARE shown a family photo depicting a young prince with his two parents. Is he just a product of Disney's dead parent syndrome? Is there a darker twist that he perhaps killed his parents in a fit of rage by accident? Did they die in some other tragic accident? Or did they shun him when he was befallen with the curse? There is no way to tell in the cartoon, but perhaps the family portrait is more telling than just being a little more detail.

2. How Long Has He Actually Been A Beast?

During the opening narration, it is stated that the curse would last until his 21st birthday, by which time if he hadn't find someone to love him for who he was he would remain a beast forever. And during the song "Be Our Guest" Lumiere mentions that for "10 years we've been rusting" so the servants have been in that state for at least 10 years. By this math, the Beast would have been 11 when the curse was placed on the castle. By the above portrait that does kind of make sense, as he looks a lot younger and we can assume it's the portrait he claws through in the original film:

But in the animated version portrait he appears to be closer to the age he is when the curse is broken. So was the castle frozen in time until the 21st year? Or did the enchantress actually think that an 11-year-old boy would know anything about love? So, suspended in time or cursed from a young age — how will the live-action adaptation handle it?

3. How Does Chip Even Exist?

There is no denying that Chip is one of the most adorable characters in all of Disney, and I would love a little Chip cup of my own. He is so iconic that he is a key item in the show Once Upon a Time, the Disney-owned show that changes most fairy tales to the point of unrecognizable:

However... if the castle was put under a curse for 10 years... how did Mrs. Potts have him? Because if the movie has been moving in regular time, then he has to have been conceived and had while she was under the curse... If the Beast is aging toward his 21st birthday (and they celebrate his birthdays), then it stands to reason that Chip should have also been aging, but he's still definitely younger than 10 years old. So why isn't Chip aging like the rest of them? Or does aging time in their curse move more slowly than time in the outside world? Or...I don't know. This just raises so many more questions it's making my head hurt.

4. Why Did Belle And Her Dad Move To The Village In The First Place?

In the opening song "Belle" one of the lyrics is "Every morning just the same/since the morning that we came/to this poor provincial town" which implies that Belle and her father haven't always lived at the village but actually moved there from somewhere else. Why? It's a poor town, presumably because their royalty has abandoned them, there isn't much to do there, and one of the villagers is all but stalking her. The fact that all the villagers treat her like she is the greatest thing since sliced bread by singing a whole song about her and watching her walk through the village kind of drives home the fact that she is new and not something they are used to. Why would you move somewhere like that? More importantly, why would you stay?

5. Why Have None Of The Villagers Gone To The Castle Before?

They already know the way there, as proven by the fact that they are able to make their way through the woods to it within hours when they decide to kill Beast. If this castle was that of their royalty, why have none of them gone to go check on them in years? Or even the servants who have also been trapped in the castle all that time? Those are a lot of people to go missing, and yet it is only when a young woman and her father start talking about a Beast with an enchanted mirror do they decide to go to the castle.

And, most importantly I think:

6. WHAT IS THE BEAST'S NAME?

Now, before everyone goes and says, "His name is Adam," no, this actually not official. While you may have a few arguments that are for that fact, YouTuber Keith Lapinig actually addressed this on his page in a series of videos addressing why the Beast does not have an official name:

And if you still aren't completely convinced, he also did an interview with the creator and animator for the Beast Glen Keane, who set the record straight

And yes, he was given the name of Adam in the Disney-sanctioned CD-ROM tie-in game and later Broadway adaptation, but he never had a human name in the movie itself. I think it would be interesting to see him get an official name once and for all so that the confusion can end and Belle can finally call him something other than "Beast."

Are there any other burning questions about #BeautyAndTheBeast that you want the movie to address? Comment below and discuss!

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